


Cosmic Duality

by XaiBauGrove



Series: The Cave of Two Lovers [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Action & Romance, Canon Compliant, Canon Queer Relationship, Diplomacy, Drama & Romance, Existential Angst, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Humanities, Humor, Intolerance, Light politics, Moral Ambiguity, Moral Dilemmas, Original Character(s), Post-Finale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-12 15:50:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13550577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XaiBauGrove/pseuds/XaiBauGrove
Summary: Avatar Korra and Asami Sato emerged from chaos and years of strife hand in hand, ready to embrace the serendipity of their new life together with bright eyes and open hearts. Their love may be simple, as natural as water and intense as fire, but the world in which it exists is complex and unyielding. They soon find that the fight for happiness is a constant battle, a labor of love that requires resilience when against the odds.When everything is tested, and the future is suddenly uncertain, the strength of their bond will be put to the test. Will they bend, but not break? Can they navigate the darkness as well as the light and withstand new chaos to bring the world into a new age of hope?This is a story of two women who find themselves in the space between the world and their love.





	1. The Future is Bright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hi! I'm new, fresh out the womb when it comes to fanfic, extra new when it comes to navigating this site so if you're here, just be patient and I promise it could possibly be worth it. I don't know. You have to decide that for yourself. But if you can manage to put up with my ridiculousness that will break free in every notes section of every chapter in this story, then good on ya, it'll pay off. Hopefully.
> 
> This story started out as a desperate attempt to cling to any aspect of Korrasami that I could and took a life of its own along the way, transforming from nonsensical episodes into a full-blown beast that I am currently obsessing over. I rewatched the series after a couple years and completely forgetting about this couple and now I'm debating whether or not that was a good idea because now I'm doing this and have dedicated 90% of my thoughts to this goddamn pair that I'll never let go of. The obsession came back full force and I'm scared. But seriously, this is my OTP, my one and only, very near and dear to my heart so this story is a labor of love that I've been slaving over for the past couple months and will continue to do so until completion. But the end is nowhere in sight now so I'm focused on the present. 
> 
> My hope is that this mess that I'm trying to pool together into a compelling story can connect to other kindred spirits like myself who adore this couple as much as I do. And these characters...damn. These characters are complex as hell and I'm excited about the chance to dig into them and really showcase all that beautiful goodness that Bryke bestowed upon the world. But all I can say now is strap in, strap on, whatever you do. Because you're in for a ride. 
> 
> P.S. The last part of this chapter heavily leans on the reader's preexisting knowledge of what happened at the end of their Spirit World vacation in Turf Wars Pt. 1. I didn't go into a lot of detail in that scene because it wouldn't have matched the approach I went for and seemed to fit better to me. Sorry if it doesn't work for you. 
> 
> P.P.S. I'm a music freak who wholly believes that music can set the perfect backdrop to literature and really drive home scenery and emotion so I'll be telling you some random ass songs you can listen to along the way, with each chapter. You can take it or leave it, you can love it or hate it, you do you. I've got a diverse taste, so I'll suggest songs from differing genres. So to start it off, in this chapter: 
> 
> Guts Theme-Berserk OST (This actually fits well with the mystical nature of the Spirit World, I guess.)  
> Her-Eery (I think Korra hears this song every time she looks at Asami.)  
> Big Jet Plane-Angus and Julia Stone (it works for the end, the dreamy suggestion of hope and possibility fits.)

 

_**& &&&** _

 Any of the previous trips she had taken to the Spirit World were distant, faded memories that paled in comparison to how vibrant it was with Her in it. Was there ever so much color there before her? Surely the world had always just been black and white and boring until Asami first placed her foot on the hallowed ground and all the wonders came alive from that first step and her smile…and her laugh…the way she ran through the shifting fields and startled fireflies into the air. Spread her arms and twirled, then fell backwards into the grass that pillowed her while she looked up at the skies above them. Korra could only watch the non-bender, the reflection of the stars swimming in her emerald eyes as she took in everything with an appreciation that the Avatar had never witnessed in anyone else before. It was breathtaking, lying next to her in a world all to themselves, surrounded by so much wonder and watching her see it all for the first time in the most chaste manner. Korra was sure she was seeing it all for the first time all over again too, the Spirit World reborn in Asami Sato's eyes. Right then, on that first day, Korra was sure she wanted to stay there forever. With Her.

The privacy was a welcome change. Korra remembered bits and pieces of them having small moments to themselves during the rebuilding of the Air Nation when they had traveled all over in her airship, but there was a difference. Everyone else had been there, so any time they found themselves alone, an unwitting intruder would invade their space: Tenzin, most notably. And just when they had started truly becoming closer than friends, everything with Zaheer and the Red Lotus threw her off and forced her to retreat, setting in motion a chain of events that kept them apart for three long years…

But that was in the past. And Korra would never be apart from her again. How could she? It might have been easier when she didn't know what she was missing but now? Chasing after Asami as she weaved around giant, glowing lily pads and dared Korra to catch her, dark hair trailing behind her on the wind as she jogged and looked back over her shoulder at Korra with those eyes…how could she ever leave again? And miss this... Never in a million years, she thought as she caught Asami around the waist, wrapping her arms around her hips as they laughed and tumbled off a sudden cliff. They were unconcerned when the terrain shifted beneath them and Korra effortlessly bent the air around them, the wind whipping about as they spun in slow circles. Descending gracefully, Korra's arms draped around Asami's waist to keep her in the small vortex as they stared into each other's eyes.

It was like walking in a dream. There were flashes of a distant memory, the sight of a frozen cliffside bordering a chilly ocean filling Korra with a strong desire to plummet to the snows below. Her nomadic wandering of the world had taken her to the darkest, most dangerous corners where fear and hostility ruled and the memories contrasted the neon fields they strolled through. Korra had to rub her eyes and blink, the phenomenon like a messed up mover, flickering between night and day. It was still hard to believe.

But Asami's smile always reminded her that it was all real. Not but a month ago Korra was lost in desolation in deserts, contemplating diving right into the fiery depths of lava pits in the Fire Nation, enduring painful attacks surrounded by lights in an arena just to try to feel something… And now she was surrounded by lights of a different nature. Korra laughed as neon blue doves went soaring by her and gathered around Asami, the non-bender nearly covered in the glowing azure dust that fell from the birds' wings. The Avatar watched Asami giggle and bring her shoulders up while the birds nuzzled her hair and fluttered around her.

"Are they normally this friendly?" Asami laughed as she turned to Korra.

"Well…" Korra's cheeks flared as she continued, "I don't think they've ever seen someone so pretty in the Spirit World before. That might be what's got them all excited."

Asami smiled and looked tenderly into the Avatar's eyes. "You've been here many times, so I highly doubt that."

In truth, the Spirit World was a projection of her emotions, and the dazzling beauty that filled the world was just a mirror of what was in her heart. Korra thought of this as she considered Asami interacting with the spirits all excitedly running up to her. They piled up at her feet now, some of them giving her compliments.

"I like your hair," a little tree sprite squeaked out, pointing up at her.

"You're really nice! And beautiful! I bet you're really, _really_ smart too…"

"Of course she's smart, but is she more stunning than brilliant, or more brilliant than she is stunning?"

Asami was crouched down amongst the smaller spirits, petting the tree sprite and laughing at the comments of the larger spirits discussing above her. "You guys really know how to make a girl feel special!"

Korra's blush persisted as she watched the scene. She was thankful that Asami didn't know too much about the inner workings of the dimension because the spirits were blabbing out everything she felt, handing the industrialist a journal of hers on a silver platter. That was what it looked like to have your emotions brought to life, she thought, tilting her head to one side.

"You're looking really snazzy, Asami!"

Korra sucked in a breath, her eyes bulging and shoulders tensing at the sound of the comment. _Who said that?!_ Her hair stood on end as her eyes darted to every spirit that had gathered around Asami, who immediately drew her slender brows together curiously with a bemused look in her eye.

"That's funny…" she began, before Korra burst through the crowd.

“Alright! That’s enough! We’d really better get going Asami, you know what they say! So much to see, so little time!” Korra babbled, grabbing the inventor by the arm and pulling her away.

“But I thought you said time doesn’t exist here,” Asami said, waving to the spirits as Korra practically dragged her.

“Well, what do I know? Right? I mean, it took me forever to even get in touch with all this again, you know, and you said you wanted to see the springs, remember? For all we know it could move and end up _all_ the way somewhere else, so we should really start heading for it and away from here, okay?”

"Wait, we could probably just ask this little guy right here," Asami dug her heels in and wrenched her arm from Korra's grip to stop at a thin tree where a salamander spirit snaked around the truck and looked up at Asami. "Do you know the way to the healing springs, little spirit?"

 _Fine, I think he's too small to be able to talk anyway…_ Korra folded her arms and stood next to Asami with her bottom lip poked out, regarding the salamander spirit cautiously.

The spirit cleared his throat and announced in a clear, deep voice, “Actually, Avatar, I can speak, and very well, at that.” _Seriously?!_ Korra bristled and rolled her eyes with a huff. "AND despite your ignorance, I would be more than happy to direct you, Asami. The healing springs can be found just to the north of here. And I believe I would be remiss to neglect to mention how fantastic of a woman you are and how grateful I am to have you here in—"

"Oookaaay! Okay! Thanks! You've been greaaat. Big, big help. We'll be on our way, now!" Korra thrust her hand out to halt the spirit while simultaneously taking Asami's hand and walking briskly away, the industrialist being spun around in the action, sporting a startled and confused face.

The salamander spirit glared after the Avatar and tutted before slithering back to the ground.

She was an open book for Asami. It was rather nerve-wracking, having all her feelings thrown all over, and the spirits weren't making things easier, but they were setting an impressive backdrop. Korra supposed she could never be unhappy there, even if she tried, not by Asami's side. As they floated through the reefs of the springs that were really just a hidden ocean, Korra marveled at everything around them and gripped Asami's hand tighter in hers, leading her through the mystical aquatic wilds. Korra was the better swimmer but Asami kept up well enough, and water-bending helped. Korra pulled Asami close and manipulated the waters to carry them swiftly through the depths and to the surface where they broke free, drawing in big gasps of air and smiling.

Korra took a break by the embankment of the spring and watched Asami as she floated on her back, drifting across the surface with her hair spread around her like ink from a painting. It was dark by then, and Korra struggled to see her. She was more of a shadowy figure in the watery expanse. An idea dawned on the Avatar then and she leaned over the edge of the spring with her arm hanging above. Suddenly the water was illuminated a bright neon blue, and Korra looked up just in time to see Asami in the middle of it all, grinning from ear to ear. Anything to make her smile just like that, Korra determined that she would do it right at that exact point. Seeing the woman floating in the center of the glowing waters, spreading her arms at her sides and turning her head to catch Korra's eye, that was it. That was happiness.

Their first day there did pass by like a dream, and it was only the beginning. That was the thought that Korra repeated silently to herself as she laid in the grass next to Asami, both of them drifting off to sleep after an eventful day. It was only the beginning.

* * *

"Shit." Asami continued frantically rummaging through her backpack while Korra effortlessly set up their camp for the day. Manipulating the air around their tent with careless flicks of her wrists, she then tapered it down by popping bricks out of the ground and setting them on the edges of the canvas. Korra proceeded to sit down cross-legged and immediately began tearing into the freshly caught fish she snatched up earlier from the lake their camp bordered. She paused only to char the meat with her fire-bending before digging in.

"What's wrong?" Korra asked, the question muffled by her full mouth. Flecks of fish meat flew from her pouted lips.

"I think I forgot my makeup." Asami frowned as she continued moving aside the same supplies in her backpack over and over, hoping that it would suddenly appear.

She was so excited for their vacation that she had forgotten it at home while giddily tossing her whole dresser into the bag, overcome with joy and anticipation yet also anxious to hurry and step through the portal with the young Avatar before the next crisis could possibly pull her away again. Whenever she traveled she made a point of remembering her makeup. _Why now…_

"C'mon, Asami!" Korra tore into the last of the flesh and threw aside the bare fish skeleton while she stood up and walked over to where the non-bender sat, still rifling through the bag, her brow cutely furrowed. "You don't even need it! You're beautiful without it."

"Korra, you've never even seen me without my makeup on." Asami remarked, distracted.

"I don't have to. Asami, you're perfect no matter what's on your face. Besides, I don't wear makeup."

"Yeah but you're gorgeous and your complexion is perfect," she said, as she nonchalantly lifted her hand. "I, on the other hand, look like a ghost without it."

Asami huffed and gave up, climbing to her feet and stretching her long limbs. She wore a thin cotton tank-top and her signature riding pants and boots, her jacket now a crumpled mess of fabric on the ground after she pulled it out of her backpack while looking through it. Such a casual manner of dress was a deviation from her usual sophisticated clothing choices but many things were different then. And the industrialist frequently caught Korra staring when she opted out of donning the jacket, and that made her smile.

"As a matter of fact, I'd probably fit in just perfectly here," she said, placing her hands on her hips and watching as the spirits drifted languidly overhead.

Korra rolled her eyes and smirked in that adorable, free-spirited way that flaunted in the face of what was pretty or not. Throughout the years she remained uniquely her and never apologized for it. Korra was raw beauty, and her uncompromised authenticity radiated an irresistible charm to Asami.  

"Don't be silly." The Avatar turned and began to saunter away, Asami left to watch her hips move rhythmically with each step, the brown animal skin tied around her waist barely covering the soft swell of her toned rear. 

She knew Korra meant every word of it, she didn't care whether she wore makeup or not, and would admire her all the same. Whether she was freshly powdered and groomed or waking up from a long night of drawing up blueprint schematics with drool on the side of her mouth, Korra would look at her just the same way as she did every other time. Then why was she so sensitive? After years and years of men expecting her to maintain a particular appearance, galas and cotillions, dates and ballroom dances, she supposed she had just fallen into a routine. High society was all about appearances, it was all she had ever known. But Korra was anything but high society. The loud, bold exception to the rule. She was earth and still water, pure fire at her most intense and a breath of fresh air.

Asami smiled after her, oblivious to the subtle waving of the Avatar's hand until a sudden ball of water splashed onto her head, dousing her from head to waist. Yes. Korra was anything but high society, Asami thought, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips as Korra turned back to her with a playful grin. "What?"

"Very. Funny." Asami muttered, her fists clenched at her sides.

Korra laughed until tears leaked from her eyes and it was unexpectedly liberating. To play childish pranks on her girlfriend, to be there in the Spirit World with her. Asami sans jacket, sans shock glove, sopping wet and spitting water from her lips and so present. Every now and then Korra gave pause to allow the appreciation to set in. Perhaps in her way, dousing the non-bender was staking a claim to something grander and stronger than just the hinted possibilities of the times they shared prior to stepping foot into the portal. Sure, they had laughed and stolen moments from the vice grip of their tumultuous lives but not to the fullest. It was always somewhat muted, a suggestion of affection that would have been inconvenient at full force but now? They dove into it. And they slipped briskly into the intimacy, because it was, a thousand times over, more powerfully intimate than Korra had believed possible. On full display in all their glory, the emotions she previously had to bury burst forth to greet Asami in the form of little spirits and childlike play.

The laughter faded away into nervous chuckles when Asami pulled at the bottom of her tank-top to ring out the water and Korra found her eyes drawn to the fabric clutching tightly to the curves of Asami's breasts, the water causing her shirt to be almost see-through. This silent exchange had happened more than once during their vacation and Korra still stalled at the threshold sometimes. Korra was hesitant to step through the next portal that called to her, beyond the fleeting touches of yesterday and locking eyes across a room, beyond her daydreams. There was a tug and pull within the Avatar, the appeal of indulgence fighting with the uncertainty of the unknown. It crept up on her during nights in their shared tent when her fingertips hovered with inhibition, something she couldn’t place restraining her every time. The sound of her thumping heart filled her ears every time she thought of finally touching Asami and really touching her, the same woman she had harbored indescribable feelings for and smiled at constantly, that same woman who could make her laugh just as easily as she could stun her and stop her in her tracks with a single look. Asami was the lilting song in her heart and simultaneously the great, unstoppable force that left her humbled and filled with trepidation at any given moment.

 "The least you could do is dry me off… Korra. Korra?"

Asami wiped water from her eyes with the back of her arm and looked up to find Korra staring, again. She could barely contain her grin and found then that she could never really stay mad at her, not when she witnessed the adorable ambivalence of her girlfriend firsthand. Asami was glad to see the effect she had on her senses, to know that she could disarm the Avatar so easily. But she did want more and didn’t apologize for it, not after everything they had been through. Korra danced on the edge of the flame while Asami Sato longed to thrust her hands into the cinders, a burning insistence that would have frightened her if not for the comfort she felt with the woman who inspired her passion. She had apologized enough for her feelings before. Things were different now. And although Asami enjoyed the bright innocence of their spirited adventures in the ethereal wilds, she also wanted that burn, just as she warmed under Korra’s stare.

Every now and then she dipped a cautious finger in, played with the flame much like Korra did. She savored the sharp inhalations, the shivers at her fingertips in the dead of night. The knowledge that she had the privilege to see the Avatar as no one saw her and gradually coax the shy bender from her shell was enough to tide her over. For once, there was plenty of time. And she still allowed herself those little moments of weakness, testing the kindling, diligently stoking the flame with each passing day. It was worth the effort and the wait. And the occasional awkward incident.

Asami ventured then, her confidence taking over as she turned and took a step towards Korra silently gaping at her. She ended up almost floored by a huge gust of wind that completely evaporated every drop of water on her skin, in her hair and dried her shirt well enough, but also almost ripped it clear off her. Asami was left frazzled, her hair a mess and worse off than when she was drenched in water. Such was life with Korra.

"Sorry!" Korra whined, pushing her shoulders up and wincing.

But Asami was patient and kind. "It's alright, Korra. Hey, why don’t we eat and then you can take me to that place you wanted to show me yesterday?" She smiled as she smoothed down her hair.

"Sure," Korra smiled back, thankful for someone who took her as she was, asserted that she was fine just the way she was. Awkwardness and all. Asami accepted it. Accepted her. It was how the bender fell with such ease. Asami didn't expect anything from Korra. With her, she didn't have to be the Avatar, expected to solve all the problems and not have any of her own. Korra could be vulnerable and reveal her shortcomings, and there was never any judgment from Asami.

And Asami knew just how far to go. She drew her out with gentle patience and smooth hands running down her arms, fingers through thick strands of her hair. At night in the hushed tranquility of the Spirit World, Asami would spend hours simply running the knuckles of her fingers against Korra's arm while they talked themselves breathless and without even realizing it Korra would find that they were in each other's arms, bodies closely pressed together and a warmth spreading through her as she closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the non-bender's hair. It was as natural as walking or bending even, there was no thought to it, she wasn't too much in her own head, and something that Asami Sato did to her made her forget her own anxieties and think only of her touch. They were the only two living beings in the entirety of that world, like sailing serenely on a cloud at the edge of the sea.

* * *

The crisp bite of snow and frigid air slicing through her nostrils always reminded Korra of home and simplicity. The touch of Asami’s lips still lingered. The pressure rested at her bottom lip, the skin there warm despite the snow dusting up around them as they raced through the icy tundra. Asami’s arms wrapped tight around her waist, head resting against the back of Korra’s, making her heart soar. There was little the non-bender couldn’t do to elicit such a response. And she did so, continuously.

Korra had her reservations about leaving the Spirit World early and nothing really happening while they were there, maybe it had something to do with a little nagging fear in the back of her mind of the fleeting nature of opportunity that she felt she hadn’t seized and let pass her by. Her mind reeled wondering why she hadn’t given in and done it when she had the chance, felt the moment slipping away.

Curious penguins watched them from atop frosty hills slowly dissolving in the wind that whisked up swirling clouds of snow. Korra increased the throttle, the engine of the snowmobile rumbling in kind. The glaring headlight of the vehicle illuminated the darkness and revealed shimmering ivory blankets throughout the land laid out for their view. The cold nipping at her cheeks and bare shoulders sent jolts of energy through the Water Tribe native, awakening her adrenaline along with the memory she constantly replayed in her mind.   

She was already regretting her hesitation when they stumbled onto their feet from the dusty ground. Korra had begun to panic but again, it was Asami who held tight to her hand and pulled her close, quelling her fears. _One last thing…_ Korra gazed deep into her light green eyes, suspended in a brief state of disbelief, awestruck by the absurd reality of her situation. Asami was truly there, pulling her close, touching her and finally, finally as close as she had always wished for her to be, nothing between her and the long untouchable, unbelievable Asami whose dark hair undulated with the wind. Korra smiled as she surrendered to the belief that yes, finally it was all very real. Asami had always been an amazingly intuitive being, attuned to her. Why had she ever been worried?

Asami’s hand gripped at hers with a bit more force that translated all her suppressed feelings and Korra’s eyes darted to the fullness of her lips before she was closing her eyes and finally, it happened. Unlike any kiss Korra had ever shared previously. There was a rush of emotion she hadn’t ever experienced, she let herself go and pressed her mouth further into it, Asami’s lips almost cradling hers. The taste of silken petals remained when they parted and the industrialist pressed her forehead into the Avatar’s and smiled. It was the pure happiness of transparent simplicity.

Unbridled, Korra craned her neck back and let out a loud whooping noise that carried on the air and pierced the night, even over the howling winds roaring above the snow. Asami laughed and Korra broke out into an uncontrollable grin. She saw the gates in the distance and leaned forward against the winds, wanting to arrive at her parents’ house as soon as possible to share her overwhelming joy and begin her new life with the woman clinging tightly to her, grounding her.

The world was bare before them, the snow the blank slate they would paint their destiny on and the stars in the black sky held the moon suspended on ethereal strings above. Anything could happen. Anything. So they raced across the sparkling terrain reflecting the moonlight, the beam of the Southern Portal behind them. And they rushed into the vast unknown together.

_**& &Omnia Vincit Amor&Amor Vincit OmniA&&** _

 

 

 


	2. A Good Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Asami are thrust back into the real world and run into some minor technical difficulties as they undergo their adjustment period and acclimate themselves to the nature of their everyday lives. They left as friends and returned as a couple through the portal and into the thick of it again. As with any new relationship, theirs is one that requires a bit of a balancing act. They may falter, or even stumble, but these acrobats know at the end of the day what makes a good team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty excited I actually got this chapter all revised and everything. I really struggled in some parts for whatever reasons, but here it is! This addition is just all about these two finding their footing, pretty much. It coincides with the evacuee camp events in Turf Wars, but I cut out all the triad, amusement park drama from this story. Right now, I just follow the housing crisis here, and we dip into that little flash of the Korrasami dynamic we saw in that tent sequence.

 

**_& &&&_ **

  _Just act normal. Everything is the same, really. We’ve always known how we felt about one another deep down, and we didn’t act differently before the vacation, no reason to change now._

The visit to Korra’s parents hadn’t gone quite according to plan. Not that there had been a plan on Korra’s part, characteristically so. But it wasn’t exactly as pleasant as they would have liked. After Asami diffused the situation, the couple came to a rational conclusion. Korra was eager and passionate, qualities that Asami adored and mirrored when it related to their newfound relationship. In the rush of excitement, Korra would be the one to shout it from the rooftops, brazen and unforgiving. She tackled all of her passions with the same approach, just as Asami favored a more reserved practice.

Asami respected that Korra was a woman of the people and had been all her life. The world claimed her since birth. And all throughout the slow waltz of their courtship, Korra had been a shared partner extended at arm’s length. One hand clasped Asami’s while the other grasped the nations and they had proceeded patiently this way, balancing on the balls of their feet on a platform they clumsily navigated until it became an art form. Over time Asami had become the accomplished veteran. She sashayed and twirled around all the obstacles to eventual victory. And when she wrapped her arms around the Avatar, they met in the middle where Asami claimed her. In a near defiance, she closed her eyes to the rest of the world, as though her surrender of sight would remove the ability from the third partner in their dance.

In the Spirit World they had fled those prying eyes easy enough, but now that they had returned Asami cradled Korra in her hands like a treasure that shined in the light of her eyes and above, only for her. And she held onto a hope that it could last as long as possible, that the spotlight would remain that sharp ray of hope trained on their embraced bodies, before the third partner stirred and set into motion once again. _At least for a little while longer…_

Korra and Asami stood side by side in front of the large pavilion in the middle of the evacuee camp and looked at one another with a tacit understanding. Once they entered, the waltz would begin again. Fluent in the movements, they would have to try all the tricks, squeezing in the occasional dip to stir the equilibrium with a bit of self-indulgent mischief. Through all the bustle and commotion in the area, no one noticed them there, a rare phenomenon that Asami quickly recognized as one of those windows of opportunity that she pounced on when she stopped Korra from opening the entrance flap by whispering, “Wait!”

Korra paused and regarded Asami with wide, curious eyes as the industrialist whipped her head back and forth with a sly grin, then quickly kissed the Avatar, pressing her lips slick with the satin red lipstick she wore into her. Korra’s cheeks burned as she smiled back at Asami then began to motion toward opening the flap when the non-bender hurriedly whispered, “Wait!” again and Korra raised her eyebrows with a smirk as she turned to her once more. Asami giggled, reaching with her thumb to rub across Korra’s bottom lip, removing the lipstick that had smudged there. As Asami’s thumb trailed its way on her lip, Korra looked up at her and saw the sun at her back casting dazzling rays all around her, illuminating her jet black hair and accentuating the delicate waves and curves in her tresses, while the non-bender smiled sweetly at her.

“Now we can go in,” Asami said, her grin revealing perfectly white teeth.

Korra chuckled and shook her head, ridding herself of a previous shortness of breath. “You’re crazy,” she said, lightly pinching Asami’s side, causing her to giggle again. Contrary to her harmless chiding, she hoped that they would continue to have more playful intermissions such as those. Asami was good for them, the engineer was all structure and graphs until she wasn’t and spontaneous romance was indeed her forte. They would need as much of it as they could steal away. Korra paused for a deep breath, then raised the flap, entering the pavilion where their friends awaited an appearance.

The reactions to their presence were immediate, all of the Air Acolytes surrounded them in a loose circle. Korra had missed it more than she would admit. Being around friends and groups of people was in engrained in her as The Avatar and something denied to her for the first half of her life. Spending most of it isolated on the frozen tundra of the South with not much for company except animals and White Lotus elders made her crave being in the presence of others. Even if it was overwhelming at times, there would always be a part of her that loved it.

She beamed from the warmth of the smiles, the hugs, seeing that Meelo had added another inch to his ascending height, the welcoming comments flowing through the pavilion. Nothing but her love of the people could hold a candle to her affection for the woman beside her. Above all the chatter, Korra could see Asami being regarded with just as much attention and the manner in which she belonged there, just as she did, was touching.

“Korra’s back!”

“Hey, Korra!”

“What’s shakin’, Avatar!”

“Hey, Asami!”

It was refreshing to see Korra in her true element. This was where she truly belonged, Asami thought as she observed the Avatar bearing her signature heart-warming grin, greeting everyone and hugging Tenzin. Helping people, that was her lot in life, and the industrialist couldn’t be prouder of the woman she chose, who shined her brightest amongst the people, an observation that was rather bittersweet, honey and vinegar combined. The light spirit resting on its laurels within her was the beacon, and Korra’s own inner light that illuminated for Asami were the two sides of the same coin.

Asami broke her reverie and smiled as Kya greeted her with a friendly embrace. “Welcome back,” the water-bender said, holding Asami by the elbows as she regarded her. “How was the vacation?”

The question had thrown her off a bit. Not so much the words themselves, many of their other friends had asked the same thing. No, it was more the tone of voice with which the question was posed that caught her off guard. They had discussed before they arrived at the refugee camp that they would act casual and play things by ear first. They both agreed that it would be easy, so why was Asami so flustered when Kya stood in front of her, a telltale smirk playing on her face with a raised eyebrow accompanying it?

“It was…fun,” Asami countered with the same half-assed response Korra had given in reply to her parents’ inquiry not long ago. The industrialist inwardly cringed, but it came out normal enough…it was the aversion of her eyes and the wild, unabashed smile that just broke free on her lips that betrayed her. _Damn it, Korra…!_ Asami bit her bottom lip in an attempt to control herself.

“I bet,” Kya slyly remarked, but Asami was too lost in watching Korra to have noticed. It was hard to keep control with her.

Of course the Avatar was right down to business with Tenzin, discussing the relief efforts and the displacement of the Republic City citizens. For her offhanded complaints about never having a break and there always being problems for her to solve, Korra never failed rushing to tackle those problems head on, fearless and determined. Asami loved being able to make a difference with her, it was through involvement with the young Avatar that she had eventually redeemed the Sato family name. Through Korra, Asami could see a true, sustainable purpose to her work, and a shining legacy that she could leave behind. Perhaps they would leave one behind together.

Asami smiled when Korra showed her eagerness at the suggestion of Kya to make an appearance for the evacuees, in the hopes of lifting their spirits. Her smile would disappear once Korra threw the next sentence at her, “You’ll come with me, Asami?”

The non-bender shifted uncertainly. She knew how overzealous Korra could be and right at that moment she was all giddy nerves, so gung-ho that she forgot herself. Korra would take her hand and give her adorable polar bear puppy eyes as she led her through the encampment and she would ignore the sideways glances and accusing eyes easily enough. But Asami had an attention to detail that wouldn’t allow her to brush off the stares and the thought of complete strangers judging them right then made her uncomfortable. If it was so easy for the Avatar to lash out at Tonraq’s harmless suggestion, her own father—the young inventor could only imagine what would happen if a random idiot decided to mouth off. Plus, she had her own contributions to make in her way, a fact that Korra was no stranger to, unless her excitement got the best of her.  

“Actually, I…I think I’ll stay here and talk to Zhu Li about some practical things I can do to help.”

Asami found it endearing how Korra wanted them to do everything together and that was well enough in the Spirit World but they weren't there anymore. They were being jettisoned out of a dream and shocked awake by a splash of cold water after coming back to reality. And Asami hoped that instead of the average carefree couple they could lose themselves in becoming after being enabled so strongly during their vacation, they could claim their dynamic as the complementary force that the adversity of their lives had inspired them to be and the greatness they drew out of one another. The concept seemed simple enough to Asami, although she was not surprised when her short-tempered girlfriend turned to her with a blunt remark, her blue eyes narrowed and umber brows rigid, causing the dark skin between them to wrinkle.

“So lifting people’s spirits isn’t _practical_?”

 _Oh, Korra…_ Asami tried her best to proceed with caution, gritting her teeth as she averted her gaze in an attempt to stave off a misinterpretation on the young Avatar’s part. Korra took things at face value and her straight-forwardness, while admirable, could also hinder her at times which Asami was still learning how to coordinate with that side of her. “No, it’s just…they want to see _The Avatar_ , not me. Do what you’re best at. _Inspire people_.”

Korra had her talents, and loved showcasing them. Asami only wanted the chance to be able to do the same. When the bender sulkily turned away, a pressure descended on Asami’s chest as she quietly observed that dejected slump of her shoulders. She was hurt, but Asami hadn’t intended it that way. She wanted to embrace her from behind, lock her arms across the young woman’s body and hold her tight with all the feelings she held inside for her, hoping she would understand that, if not any words she could speak to convey everything she felt for her. But the bustling forms around them kept Asami at bay, and she could only look longingly at that rigid back and short brown hair as the Avatar mumbled a flat response.

“Okay.”

Asami found herself replying in kind, “Okay.”

Although she did want to begin to ask her if they could talk somewhere privately, she held her tongue and swallowed the words as Tenzin rushed past her and jollily pushed the reluctant Avatar outside. Asami sighed, rubbing her arm as she hoped Korra would somehow come to understand. Seeing her so hurt was almost too much to bear. Everything was so much easier in the Spirit World, where they were alone and had time to talk things out whenever they found the need to do so. She never intended to hurt Korra, but she realized, this could happen, it happened now and it might happen again. Korra might hurt her. It was the curse of the conditional agreement, and the intensity of their affection would scorch them at times, if they weren’t careful. But they would persist, even if they would stand to be unintentionally burned by the other over and over again, they still held onto their secret weapon of communication and understanding through the potential pain. They could talk to each other about anything, so nothing could stand in their way, Asami concluded. She took a deep breath and walked over to Zhu Li in a confident stride, conscious of the pronounced tapping of her heels on the wooden floor underfoot.

* * *

The benders held their elements, and at a younger age Asami had lamented her inability to bend but eventually she took it upon herself to develop a gift all her own. She conjured up buildings and skylines out of thin air, springing them to life from the depths of her mind, as amazing to her as the earth-benders and their powers.

Asami was fully engrossed in her work. As she allowed her hand to lead the pencil across the scroll, the noises of the busied frenzy around her melted away. This was her element. Creation. It had fascinated her ever since she was a little girl, the magic behind seeing her father’s doodles bloom into being right before her eyes. Living, breathing monoliths were given life from scribbles on scraps of paper. And the monotonous, cyclical motions of a rotating gear, spinning without an end. By itself it was without reason or purpose, but within the system of an engine and interlocked with another, the cycle took on new meaning and she recalled then being hypnotized by the blurred wheel in motion... The whole process was rapture. The planning, the concepts, the building, working with her hands and making her dreams a reality with the flick of a button or the turn of a key that rewarded her with the roar of a living engine that let her know she was a true artist. There was nothing like it. Aside from…

Sure enough, the only thing that could snap her out of her creative trance was the swell of cheers that erupted from outside of the tent. Asami smiled as she tried to proceed with her work, the cries of the people cheering Korra on, _her_ Korra, filling her with an immense feeling of pride. _Sure as summer…that’s Korra, alright._

And this was her, she thought, lightly sketching in some minor details and adding dimensions in the margin. And together, they could do anything.

Korra lifted up the entrance flap of the tent and ducked inside, Tenzin following in her stead. She breathed a sigh of relief with closed eyes, then as she looked up she saw none other than Asami immersed in work at the drafting table. Only Korra could see her blooming under cover of silence and solitude through the crowded tent. She was the flower that petaled open in the dark corners where the sunlight just barely was able to reach her pale skin wanting. But she created her own light, splicing together cables and routing power lines with her unwavering will that was easy to miss, for the uninitiated. But Korra saw it all and wondered then how she had the gall to forget earlier. _C’mon use your head and remember who you’re dealing with here…_ Korra smiled upon noticing that telltale glint of inspiration in her green eyes. _What’s she cooking up this time?_ Korra approached Zhu-Li but kept her eyes subtly trained on Asami, knowing already that whatever the engineer was coming up with would be just what was needed, as always.

“Sounds like a visit from The Avatar was exactly what the evacuees needed.” Asami overheard Zhu Li say as Korra reentered the tent with Tenzin at the corner of her eye. A rush of inspiration suddenly hit the industrialist as she continued scribbling fervently onto the paper. She barely took notice of the conversation taking place around her until Zhu Li addressed her by name as she spoke to Korra.

“…Asami just started drawing up some plans for a new housing development.”

And then nothing could distract her from the Avatar’s body standing just inches away from her, looking down curiously at her work. “The quicker we can get people back to some sense of normalcy, the better,” Asami said confidently, her eyes still trained on the concept drawings on the table before her. When she dared to look up at the bender standing over her, Asami could see the admiration in Korra’s eyes.

“I totally agree,” she said, smiling demurely at Asami as she started to pull out the chair next to her. “Want to show me what you have in mind?”

Asami studied Korra’s face with all the meticulous intent of a creator appraising a fine work of art. A smile, the soft tendrils of her hair just brushing against her powerful shoulders, the richness of the dark skin surrounding those calm, cyan eyes. There was nothing like it.

“I’d love to.”

 

_**& &Omnia Vincit Amor&Amor Vincit OmniA&&** _


	3. Close to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through the hectic nature of their lives, it seems that nothing can really withhold them from a shared magnetism. An innate need that permeates the everyday struggle and causes everything else to disappear until all that matters is that pull. 
> 
> To be near, to be present, to be close to you. 
> 
> Asami and Korra begin to further explore their new relationship during hidden moments of calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell. This took forever for some reason. Originally this chapter was a hollow shell of an idea that I wanted to flesh out here, so it took some time, a lot of procrastinating but ultimately I ended up with something I'm somewhat pleased with. I mean, s'alright. There's a lot of symbolism and depth given to Asami's character here, and we get to see some awkward Korra. Overall what I wanted to go for in this chapter is just an observational piece on how these two relate to one another and how they try to explore their feelings more. It's a chapter about intimacy at the end of the day. I just hope it came across well.

 

_**& &&&** _

 

One week. The United Republic president, soon to be ex-president, had placed The Avatar and her counsel on a waiting list. Korra was incensed. The flat bottoms of her boots smacking against the marble floors resounded through the room, bouncing off the walls as she paced back and forth in an attempt to quell her frustration. “Who does he think he is? I save his ass over and over again, hell, he would’ve been destroyed by Unalaq if it wasn’t for me, let alone wiped off the face of the continent by Kuvira and thousands of people are in need and—and he has the nerve to put _me_ on a _waiting list_!”

Korra inadvertently stomped down hard, throwing down her fists and in turn leveling Asami’s foyer. Raiko’s flippant attitude concerning the plight of the evacuees overruled her level-headedness. The images of destruction that the people, her people—lived in had haunted her thoughts long after they left the camp. Sure, she left them hopeful and they gathered some fractured idea that only Asami could make into a reality as Korra gave inspired poetic speeches and twiddled her thumbs, but a shift in the situation was still so far off. While she walked about bogged down by the knowledge that people who trusted in her and relied on her sat waiting for The Avatar to come back from “vacation”, now they had to wait longer still for their president to decide when he felt it would be an opportune time to care. The worst of it was that she was uncertain who deserved the blame more, between Raiko…and herself. _We’re not the same. I’m not like him…he could care less, but these people matter to me. Even if I wasn’t there for them for a while. It wasn’t that long. It wasn’t._

She needed to reiterate her accomplishments, hear the victories come from her own mouth to remind her when the shortcomings could be so easy to inflate. If she didn’t give in to the ferocity bubbling inside her then the frost would set in, and it would be ten times worse. So she continued her barrage on the president, truly only a distraction from turning on herself. A battle she had fought too many times before. “And don’t even get me started on how he never wanted to help with any of our efforts, but boy, was he quick to take the credit. And now, he has the _audacity_ to— “

“Hey, if you plan on renovating my entire house, just give me a warning first, okay?” Asami commented, holding her hands out to try to contain the Avatar’s rising temper. She stood aside and allowed Korra her time to vent her frustrations, maintaining silence and understanding until she was thrown off balance by the ground unexpectedly dropping several inches. The non-bender took that as her cue to reign her girlfriend in, sensing a deeper anguish behind her normally rigid bending discipline slipping through the cracks in the foundation of the marble floors.

Korra paused and looked around as some stray rubble came falling down from a corner of the room. “Sorry…” she said, thrusting her arms above her head and knocking the room back in place. Asami set her feet but her firm stance failed to withstand the slight wobble in the action. The sudden seismic shift caused a framed picture to fall off the mantle of the fireplace and come crashing down onto the floor. The sound of glass shattering into pieces due to her behavior chipped at the thin veneer of Korra's composure.

“It’s just that…I kind of feel like…” Korra mused as she crossed the room in the direction of the broken picture frame. Along with the damaged frame spilling a waxen photograph from its borders, the bender felt her own ambivalence leaking out. It was hopeless trying to hold it together in front of Asami so near. The words poured out of her. “I might have been a little selfish.”  

“What do you mean?” Asami asked, tilting her head and watching the young woman bend down to gather up the frame and pieces of fractured glass. Korra’s conflicted reflection swept briefly on the surface of a shard as she knelt over the mess at her feet.

“I mean, I wanted to have a normal first experience with you…at least, as normal as the Spirit World could be. And I wanted you all to myself, and to live that kind of life, if only for a little while.” Korra regarded the photo in the broken frame and her heart skipped at the sight of her and Asami staring back, both of them smiling. She didn’t recall taking such a picture. But Asami had it framed…and set above her fireplace. When Korra tried to recapture the memory her mind worked in earnest and she was partially unsettled by how quickly her dilemma concerning the evacuees could be pushed aside at the sight of that picture. “Maybe that was selfish, running away like that. Even if it was only for a few days.”

Korra’s thumb traced over Asami’s face in the photograph. “I’m The Avatar, every day I wake up, and every night I go to sleep. There’s no running away from that. Or days off. And I left these people to fend for themselves and deal with stupid politicians like _Raiko_.” She tossed a piece of glass into the fireplace next to her.

Everything boiled over and sifted inside her. She might not have outright neglected the public as the esteemed member of office did but she did contribute to the successive disappointment in a way, assisting Raiko in the combo. Korra stood up and waved the hand holding the frame. “Did you see the conditions for those people? I can’t help but think…”

“Don’t do that, Korra. Don’t you dare blame yourself,” Asami said, sternly. She walked over to where the Avatar hung her head and placed a finger underneath her chin to lift her face up to hers. “You have every right to happiness. Okay? Being The Avatar doesn’t mean you have to be miserable.”

Balance. It was a delicate facet to maintain, made even more complex whenever their shared responsibilities entered the mix, landing onto their once stable platform with a thud and offsetting for the time being before Asami assessed the uneven angles and made her adjustments, ever the meticulous engineer. The Avatar frequently bore the brunt of the weight on her end, but Asami persisted, her determination fueled by their new relationship. She doubled down her efforts and asserted it to be nothing more than simple geometry, physics, all things she excelled in and nothing they couldn’t handle together. She placed her other hand on the bender’s arm to stabilize her. “Or alone.”

Korra turned her head away slightly, her brows slanted fretfully as she averted her gaze. “Hey,” Asami whispered, gathering Korra’s attention again and watching the woman’s eyes dart back to her. “I mean it. You deserve to be happy. And it’s not your fault that some idiot politician can’t get his act together, you didn’t elect him into office, the people did. That’s not your responsibility. They made a poor choice, they have to deal with the consequences. You can’t fix everything. But you do enough. Korra, you saved the _world_ just a few weeks ago. That’s not something anyone could say they did on an average day. You do _enough_.”

Seeing Korra’s smile and having it be accompanied by the swell of emotions it brought about still had its effect on her. For all her encouragement the concept of happiness was still fairly new to Asami. Mending heartache, that was something she was familiar with. But this was so foreign and nostalgic all at once, like an old, unnamed melody. Something between past and future that she still strangely struggled with relating to. It had been so long, and every chance she had to bask in the glow of a smile or a laugh from Korra and know it was hers to appreciate, that she had the ability to bring it into existence… Asami could stand there leading Korra back to her constantly, gleaning a bit more expertise on it as time went on, craving it again and again. She smiled as Korra looked down to contemplate the picture in her hand.

“And think of it this way,” Asami mentioned, “Raiko’s rudeness just gives us more time to ourselves. Maybe we can even have a little mini-vacation right here at home, pick up where we left off, just the two of us.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Korra replied, half-distracted. “Hey, I didn’t know you had this.”

She held up the broken frame holding their picture and Asami grinned. “Oh, that’s not the only picture I have.”

The engineer reached into the breast of her jacket and pulled out a worn, slightly battered daguerreotype from a hidden pocket and showed it to Korra with a mischievous, side-eyed smirk. The Avatar’s reaction was priceless.

“WHERE DID YOU GET THAT???” She screamed incredulously. Korra swiftly darted a hand out in an attempt to snatch the photo away but Asami was too quick for her.

However, the bender was relentless and pursued her all around the large foyer, Asami’s laughs and her screams echoing off the vaulted ceiling above them. The mad chase was over the second Korra challenged the lithe non-bender to a game of cat and mouse. Asami was too agile and every time Korra thought she had her pinned in a corner she slinked away, dipping under the Avatar’s encircled arms or spinning out of reach with an excited squeal of laughter, the soft ends of her dark hair barely brushing Korra’s forearm. _Nobody but you can do this. Nobody but you._ The pursuit set the nerves under her skin alight and Korra enjoyed it in more ways than one, although she would never admit it to the smug woman artfully dodging her every move as if she telegraphed everything beforehand. She was the only non-bender in the city who could evade The Avatar unflinchingly and not break a sweat while doing so. They collapsed in a ball of frustration and giggles onto a large davenport, Asami keeping Korra at bay with a delicate foot extended against the Avatar’s shoulder as she stretched her arms out feebly.

“C’mon Korra, you were _adorable_.”

Korra gave in with an exaggerated sigh and sat defeated on the couch next to Asami, giving the non-bender the chance to look wistfully over the picture in her hand. This was far from the first time she had regarded it. A yellowing, faded daguerreotype of a four-year-old Korra next to an igloo, looking up at a slightly younger version of Katara demonstrating a proper water-bending stance. The child was short and stubby, but the spunkiness radiated off the surface of the picture, its once sharp edges dulled by time into a curvature. Three little pigtails puffed out from the child’s head and her tiny tunic couldn’t contain the belly that poked out underneath.

 “So…where did you get that picture?” Korra asked from her slumped position next to Asami’s waist.

“Where do you think? Not many people have photographs of the little Avatar,” she giggled, teasing Korra lightly and waving the photo in her hand.

Korra only responded with surprise and raised eyebrows. “When did you go and see my parents?”

Asami leaned back into the cushions of the davenport. “I visited them while you were gone and no one knew where you were.”

“They never mentioned that,” Korra said, curiously.

“Probably because they never really knew why. But, I had my reasons,” Asami’s fingers trailed lightly over the picture. “and talking about you made them happy. Took their minds off of the fact that you were missing. And it made me happy, too. To hear stories about you…being the little terror that you were.”

Asami snickered and poked Korra’s shoulder, eliciting an annoyed groan and eye roll.

“And…”

The industrialist paused and looked down at the floor before continuing. Even in light of all the recent events, the wound had yet to heal proper. Too many nights spent lying awake in bed, staring at a blank ceiling and finding no answers to questions she couldn’t ask.

“When I asked for the photograph, it wasn’t just about embarrassing you, Korra. I—I wanted to have something of you to hold onto during that time. Just any part of you to keep me—keep us… Together.”

Certain nights Asami looked out from the balcony of her corporate office as the winds blew across the water and caught her hair, a breeze that picked up from Air Temple Island just across the bay and she would imagine Korra there, that she would see her the very next day, if she waited one more day. She could feel the pull of tranquility that reached her, drawing her away from the city lights, neon and amber below, the intrusive honking of the cars coasting the streets she built, vehicles her company manufactured, all her triumph in modernity and industry incomparable to the plain simplicity of that island. And a certain inhabitant who traversed the air on wood and fabric wings soaring high above the noise. Asami would wonder, maybe she would follow the streets the engineer paved, or spot the statue she erected within the park she designed or see the vines coiling fluidly through the roads she crafted that might, just might lead her back home.

After searching tirelessly, combing through her estate for some token, a forgotten reminder and overcoming the embarrassment behind her desperation, Asami found that all that remained of Korra were in fact the vines she left behind. At one point during construction as she oversaw road development, the industrialist chanced to steal a moment, bracing her hand against one of the vines and closing her eyes. She pictured wolf tails wafting on a conjured breeze, the glint of teeth slowly revealed by curled lips up one side of a taut jaw, a laugh tinged by gruffness and softened by femininity. Her concentration had been broken then when a foreman seeking consultation on some blueprints stirred her, but she hadn’t missed it. In the end, they were scenes she already knew and replayed in her mind’s eye on countless occasions, far from the real thing. And the vines contained nothing of Korra. Asami thought perhaps the touch of the plant-life could carry a magical inexplicable suggestion of the bender’s shoulder but she had been greeted with the fuzzy texture of moss instead.

The idea to surround herself with photographs came to her in a very arbitrary way. A copy of _The Elemental Times_ brought to her by her butler that brandished the Avatar’s image spurred Asami to gather every picture of Korra she could find, every news article, every snapshot and study them raptly. So much time had passed with her absorbed in the mementos that she had begun imagining things that had never happened, her fantasies distorting the accuracy of her memories, blending into atypical scenes that were ill-fitted to what she knew was true, that anyone who knew Korra would be able to dispute. None of the pictures that she collected belonged to her alone or the memories she fabricated. The invasive journalists of Republic City had a stake in the Avatar too, not to mention Mako, Bolin and Tenzin along with all the other friends Asami shared Korra with during those frozen moments in time. And the passive way the papers tossed around Korra’s image was somewhat sacrilegious to her, on par with a picture of Korra hanging in some fish monger’s booth halfway across the continent, alongside other Avatars who might have passed through that same way. As she sat in front of all the images she compiled and painstakingly organized in her cloistered office, Asami ultimately felt no closer than she did at night looking out over the endlessness of Yue Bay.

By the time she had boarded the ship setting sail across the same bay and en route to the South Pole Asami had already resigned herself to being crazy and paced the deck an anxious mess, debating whether to alter the course and turn right back around to Republic City and hide in her office before Korra’s parents did the honors after rejecting her unannounced visit. But the pull was even greater. Undeniable. And on the return route back home the industrialist was more at ease than ever before, carrying a precious artifact back nestled in the hidden pocket of her jacket, near her heart where she pressed with a sigh. An intimate knowledge that no one else could claim, that she would find in no papers or on the shelves of no one else’s home. Simply Korra: before she was the famous Avatar, bridge between worlds, savior of Republic City and the entire world. It was Korra only as those closest to her knew her; her parents, her tribespeople, Katara, and now, Asami as well.

Over time she would touch her chest where the picture rested and a calm would envelop her during board meetings, complex propositions and dicey deals. She would steal away surreptitious moments in private corners and pull the daguerreotype from its place to look over it with a smile.

Asami wondered then, as she regarded the photograph of little Korra of the Southern Water Tribe while the elder counterpart sat quietly next to her, the non-bender pondering if there was any bottom to that well of emotions that slowly became a lake and then swiftly a roaring channel that emptied into an ocean. She imagined fresh saltwater as she dove right into the deepest depths of the bay where Korra waited to supply her with a breath of air that could last longer than her imagination dared to dream. _Little Korra of the Southern Water Tribe._ Asami was brought back to the present by Korra’s hand wrapping around her own resting on the cushion of the davenport and she turned to the bender, smiling freely. _There was a time when I would’ve done anything to be with you._

“You could’ve picked a better picture,” Korra said, bottom lip pursed playfully. Her expression softened as she looked down at their hands laced together. “But, I’m glad you did…”

 

* * *

 

Despite Asami’s suggestion of a mini-vacation, plans dictated otherwise. Korra was restless. More than anything, she hated the stillness, sitting idly by waiting for something to happen. She was a woman of action and inactivity suited her poorly. And for all her talk, Asami was all structure and graphs again as she spent the past two days holed up in her study diligently finalizing blueprints.

Korra tried passing her time practicing bending in the garden but the unnerving silence eventually irritated her and she attempted wandering through the maze of the Sato estate to familiarize herself with the grounds but that too only increased her impatience when she got lost within the first hour of her roaming. She ended up airbending a vortex that lifted her high above the property for a better view and in the process she tore up some of Asami’s precious bonsai trees. After clumsily attempting to replant them using earth-bending and leaving lopsided evidence behind that she offhandedly kicked dirt over as she scurried away from the scene of the crime, Korra could take no more and burst into Asami’s study. She blasted down the double doors with a breath of air, startling the industrialist before collapsing onto the floor, complaining of a non-existent backache.

Asami was sure she was fine, even as she leaned over her large desk and regarded the limp body lying on the floor below with a raised eyebrow. Korra wasn’t that hard to read, and anyone who said otherwise never really paid enough attention to see through the façade. The approach was juvenile, but the Avatar was not all that well-versed on the art of flirting.

She didn’t know how to ask. Especially when Asami seemed intensely occupied with her work, Korra felt some guilt when she cracked open the doors to periodically poke her head inside and curiously watch the engineer scribbling away, her brow knit in concentration. But Korra was unable to resist that draw, she wanted to be around Asami all the time, thought of her as she laid awake in the bed of her guest room so many rooms and a staircase away from the non-bender separated from her by marble and layers of cemented earth. After sharing a tent in the Spirit World, it was laughable that she was apart from her then.

Although, the Spirit World was different from the physical one and a tent in the grass was not the same as a bed in a room. The concept was a wash to her, all theory and abstract notion. Without much information or experience to borrow from, Korra could only follow an idea of what she wanted. What she felt that Asami wanted behind her heated hands working gently over her tensed back as they sat on the davenport in the foyer. Korra wasn’t completely dense. She could decipher the desire for something more beneath those hands she had become so well-acquainted with over the years.

Korra was more familiar to Asami’s touch than anyone else’s. Even before their romantic journey, never had she felt so tethered by anyone else in her life and in such a fixed way, as if the engineer had been establishing the foundation all throughout their relationship subliminally until Korra looked around and found that she was in a house she already knew and recognized and lived in for years now. Those soft hands had handled her so delicately in the past, nursed her in their tenderness, a healing touch that stirred life inside her once weighted bones. Asami's familiar hands had been grasping her long before they sat at the couch or embraced under the starlit sky at the base of the Spirit Portal. They had always been there in breaths and whispers on her skin, passing gestures that every now and then reminded her that Asami was there, near and waiting quietly for her.

Asami was the reserved lighthouse that signaled to Korra’s drifting ship in the night that tentatively skimmed the surface of the water. She was present, without ceremony or song and dance, no grand movement. She calmly called to Korra, her unspoken summons slowly growing in intensity until it was a pounding in the Avatar’s chest as the heat of those hands quivering on the nape of her neck spoke volumes.

Touch was the most familiar sense to Asami. She marveled at the sensation that only physical contact could bring. The connection contrasted her love of analytics, intangible numbers and projections of probability, cold machinery in empty workshops and factories that could be barren one second and teeming with activity the next and yet still leave her feeling so isolated somehow, even when filled with moving bodies blurring past her in their haste. Asami rejected the idea of being an island in the middle of it all, she was a bustling city-scape vibrant with life and had spirit vines running through her veins, weaving through concrete and reaching for the biological within the artificial.

Nothing quite compared to the gentle beat of warmth under the skin of another, that inner pulse of a flame of life that emanated from within. Underneath her palms, the softness and slight shock of electricity reached her, the idea people could have the audacity to feel one another behind clothing and the surface of what was known by sight or sound. The simple act of touch was something so moving to Asami, and she had willingly engaged in her force of habit with Korra most of all.

She was sure she could recall the feeling of Korra’s shoulders from memory, although she did favor the position she found herself in now. Finally able to appreciate the smooth, dark skin burning at her fingertips and the rippling musculature reacting organically to her was a contrast to the predictability of a machine. Asami could alter a tool or improve the design of a mechanism and manipulate the rotation of a spinning gear but Korra was a living variable, mutable and distinct. Through touching Korra and truly feeling her, she closed the divide of the ocean that had once been between them. Each stir of the body under her palm, the shifting of chords in the bender’s shoulders was a reassurance that Korra was actually there with her.

And though Asami could see Korra and talk to her, hear the hearty brusqueness in her voice when she spoke or smell the balmy scent of earth and saltwater spilling from her pores, but there was something entirely different in touching her. For years she had harvested bits and pieces trying to form the whole idea of the entirety of Korra’s body with every seemingly innocuous placement of a hand that couldn’t be misconstrued for anything deeper. But Asami sought out the deepest, wanted nothing more than to see where the ocean bottomed out and they would meet in the middle in cool waters that did nothing to dull the strong ache, a thumping that grew with each touch that drew her closer to feeling everything that Korra could offer, to know her deeply. As deep as her emotions ran, as deep as the bay, as deep as the waters of Korra’s ancestral roots and deeper still, as intricately as the vines circulated through the urban landscape of the city. That part of Asami hoped that it rang just as true for Korra as she closed her eyes and rooted into the touch, threading her fingers through thick umber hair.

Korra sucked at her bottom lip. Her body played cruel tricks and her mind worriedly cried out in protest, leaving her a conflicted mess as she melted into Asami’s hands like bending metal. It was much like this, Korra finding herself at the foot of the flame again that she cautiously dipped a finger into, a flare that even she wasn’t quite sure how to handle as it veered off the course of bending, no ordinary fire warming her on the outside and within. But she was fascinated by it, drawn to it, and Asami wielded it more deftly than the Avatar herself ever could, daunting her. At the last second she always shied away. Then intrigue never kept her away for too long and Korra found herself back at the flame, wanting to know this woman on the other side of the portal, wanting more and not knowing what at the same time, just wondering how close they could come. She was desperate to see and also left reeling aimlessly when Asami’s gentle voice dropped to a husky murmur that dripped from her ruby lips onto Korra’s earlobe.       

“All those Avatar powers and still no match for a bad back, I see?”

“Uh…” That was all Korra managed. Her brain was thrown off synch with her body. She felt the subtle press of breasts at her back and shivered.  

“What? No sly comeback?” Asami quipped.

Korra said nothing, and the room was silent for what felt like forever before hands were sliding down to her waist and lips were rubbing against her jawline. She felt unsure, but knew she wanted it to continue. The non-bender’s approach was different from those nights in the Spirit World, more fervent. Pure flames licked at Korra’s chest and lower abdomen. They were meeting at the impasse once again.

“Korra…” Asami finally murmured, her mouth pressing against the bender’s ear. “Is this what you wanted?”

As Korra’s mind raced, Asami’s hands grabbed her knees to shift the Avatar to face her. Korra saw the striking hunger behind her green eyes bordered by long lashes that canopied a look of longing, her ebony hair flowing freely down her shoulders. Asami’s chest gradually rose and fell against her light shirt and she was beautiful, but Korra had no idea what she was supposed to do with her. She swallowed against her dry throat before Asami leaned forward and cradled her cheek with a hand, placing her lips against hers. The act brought her to known territory, no different from the first kiss they shared in the Spirit World. It was a step in the right direction, toward that persistent desire she was unable to properly articulate. Korra lifted the limp hand at her side to gingerly run through dark, silky hair and suddenly Asami’s tongue darted out between Korra’s slightly parted lips to slide into her mouth where it settled against her own tongue.

They had only kissed that way in her previous fantasies up until that point. The abruptness of it startled Korra, but Asami’s slow exhale through her nose that warmed Korra’s face and the way she moved her tongue against hers had the Avatar tugging Asami’s shirt to bring her closer. Korra found herself reclining backwards onto the couch with Asami above, her hair surrounding their faces like a dark curtain insulating the heat of their hurried breathing. Korra allowed her body to dominate and surrendered to the moment, to Asami’s probing tongue and the hands that pulled her close to press them together. Those same hands snaked their way up her sides and then cupped her breasts.

Korra gasped and a sound that was originally meant to be a word left her, eyes opening to see Asami leaning over her in the approaching darkness that had come from nowhere. Was it that late already? Asami gently kneading her left breast brought Korra back with a white heat rising up through her body, startling her. Her eyes widened nervously. Asami had noticed, as she then took the bender’s lips with her own again and whispered, “It’s okay…”

She stiffened, lying there like a suffocating fish. Somehow, apart from anyone else in her life, Asami made her feel every bit the Little Korra of the Southern Water Tribe just escaping the confines of the South Pole—and the Avatar all at once. Hesitation battled with her willingness and something beyond anything she could describe until it became an infuriating war that carried her away from the moment. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, there wasn’t enough waiting in the world that she could put herself and Asami through and yet, she continued to stall at the gate. Maybe she was too late. The time had come and gone for her, she was already in her twenties and had no idea what she was doing with her girlfriend. Korra jerked back without really knowing why and huffed her frustration that came out as a shuddering sigh, her hands hovering awkwardly over Asami’s sides as she fought against her rising embarrassment with a fierce blush blossoming onto her face. Asami started, but tried to soothe her into movement by running a hand across her cheek. It wasn’t doing any good.

“Korra…” she said, her voice losing the sultriness it contained seconds ago and dissolving to one of concern. Great, she had ruined it.

Korra smacked a hand to her forehead and shut her eyes tightly. “I’m sorry!”

The Avatar sat up as the industrialist moved back in turn, both of them sitting on the couch again, somewhat out of breath. Korra pulled her knees up underneath her chin and wrapped her arms in a vice grip around her legs. She felt Asami’s eyes on her but didn’t have the courage to look in her direction. It was mortifying, and she was sure the other woman could see it in her eyes. There wasn’t much she could hide from her.

“Korra… Are you…?”

Asami let the broken question hang on the air. She knew what she wanted to ask, but from Korra’s past behavior, everything seemed to connect. It was a moot point. Of course, Asami had never really known for sure, there was only the idea of the reality, especially since they had never spoken candidly about sex. And they had both dated Mako.

There was no anger, no hostility or disappointment. Concern ruled over any physical sensations she had in those previous moments and she simply wanted nothing more than to reach out and place a hand on Korra’s shoulder. She was walled off again, closed up like a timid snow-clam. One could never guess at first glance that so much power resided in the shrunken body that sat inches away from Asami.

After Korra still refused to speak, Asami ventured with, “You know I’m not mad, right?”

She crept closer and lightly ran a hand over Korra’s soft brown hair. There was progress, as the Avatar shifted her eyes toward Asami without looking directly into her face. It was a start. Her touch always stirred a reaction in the bender, regardless of the nature of its intent. Korra could never resist answering in some manner.  

“Korra, it’s alright if this is all new to you. And I’m sorry I rushed you, it’s just that—well,” Asami inhaled deeply and exhaled. “You have that effect on me. And I was—I’ve wanted to do that for a long time now…”

“You don’t have to apologize. Don’t be sorry. It was nice, I just—“ Korra slowly unfurled her body and dug her hands into the davenport cushions. She cut herself off with an aggravated growl.

Asami smiled. “You know, I am a little surprised. We’ve never actually talked about it. But it’s alright.” She watched Korra as the bender mulled over her own thoughts. In the impending shadows, her eyes were bold blue against her skin and Asami could see the white of her teeth as she chewed her bottom lip. “So… Mako never…?”

Korra looked down bashfully, trying to hide her sudden blush. “No. I told him I wanted to wait a while. Until I was ready.” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “But by the time I might have been ready…we broke up.”

Korra stood abruptly and Asami’s gaze followed her dark form crossing in front of her to sit upon the windowsill to the left of the davenport, her head resting against the glass panes. She looked quietly out the large window with that thousand-yard stare she revealed at times. Asami watched her in silence, regarding the triangles of moonlight that cast peculiar shapes on the Avatar, causing her skin to glow with an understated radiance. Her gaze fell down to Korra’s left knee, shaking from the neurotic jogging of her foot against the floor.  

“Plus, there was always…something. Some fight, some new enemy, some life-threatening situation. I’ve never really had the time to think about that.” Korra turned to look at Asami. “How about you? Did you and Mako…”

Asami balked, her facial features pulling gymnastics as she rushed to reply. “Well—you know… I—“

Korra instantly understood and stared blankly before cutting her off with an, “Oh.”

Asami rushed to compose herself after witnessing the Avatar’s pained expression. She strode over to the window and sat next to Korra, placing a hand over hers and leaning towards her. “That’s in the past, Korra. What I have with you, what we have, it’s different. What I felt for him is literally nothing compared to what I feel for you. You have to know that.”

“It’s not that,” Korra replied, fixated on Asami’s hand clasped tight around hers. “It’s—It’s the fact that I’m just so… _clueless_ with this!”

Korra glanced up at the ceiling along with her exclamation, her head falling to cover her face with her umber hair. Everything escalated, poured out with one long breath containing all the pent up aggravation she had carried with her, a burden she wanted so badly to shed every time Asami beckoned to her and those imaginary chains held her back.

“I don't know anything about all this! And it’s not even really my fault! I didn’t have a normal life, it was never normal experiences, I’m not nor—"

Asami knew the truth of her broken statement. She laced her fingers through Korra’s and sought out her eyes. Korra reacting awkwardly to subtle advances or even saying silly things in her naiveté was amusing, and Asami would smile because she loved that about her, but she frequently sympathized with the other aspect of it, thoughts of the Avatar’s unconventional upbringing and tumultuous life and how frustrated that must have made her.

“Korra— “

“What if you get tired of having to deal with me? With this… Learning everything, and—“ Korra turned her face away to hide her slight blush again as she murmured, “what if you don’t…like it…”

Asami took Korra’s cheek in her palm, turning her head to look into her eyes as they quavered slightly. Korra’s lips were subtly parted and Asami settled her stare onto them before leaning in to softly kiss her. Whatever she had to give was enough. Asami fell weightlessly into the softness of the lips she had only dreamt of during endless nights, imagining the reciprocation she received in the answering pressure Korra replied with. She needed her to know, that anything she had to offer was enough. Pillowed by the tender texture of those lips, Asami absorbed the sensation, treasuring the space where their lips joined together and she could feel a promise of things to come. With every kiss they drew that much closer. When she pulled back, Korra bore into her intently with those pools of still water. Asami ran her thumb slowly underneath one of them.

“Korra, you have no idea how happy I am to just be with you. And really get to see you. Even having the chance to kiss you and touch you, just like this… Don’t worry about it. We can take our time. And when we get to that point…” Asami’s heart fluttered at the thought. “We’ll kind of be learning together. You know, this is new to me, too, in a way. But when it happens, it’ll feel so familiar, I know it. And trust me, I’ll like it.”

Asami winked and smirked, causing Korra’s face to flush a deep crimson. “I’ll like it because no matter what, it’ll be with you.”

 

 

_**& &Omnia Vincit Amor&Amor Vincit OmniA&&** _


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